Part II.
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Snow White felt incredibly uncomfortable and queasy from the rocking of the ship. Even without asking the captain, she was quite aware they had hit complicated waves that had started early in the morning.
After being succumbed with one too many curses, Snow had almost built up an immunity to heavy sleeping and found herself waking up at the most incongruous times. Once she had accepted the fact that the four hours in Storybrooke's time would be the most she would get, Snow had the sudden desire for some fresh air, and maybe a cold blast of wind to help put her out of her petulant mood.
"Don't tell me you sailed the whole night," Snow lightheartedly pleaded as soon as she caught sight of their whistling tour guide. She followed his gaze to the scenery before them and was surprised to see the details of the tall trees shadowing more trees. They were closer to the island than yesterday, which most likely meant Hook was running on few to zero hours of sleep.
He caught her eye almost as quickly as he heard her light footed steps. "Ah! I was wondering who would be my first morning riser."
"Did you sleep at all?" she rephrased the question.
"I've rested if that's what you're asking," he replied a little too cheerfully for Snow's taste.
She walked closer to the bridge and pulled off her backpack. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
Hook scoffed. "Darling, I haven't eaten breakfast since my years as a lad."
Snow paused her search for food and incredulously asked, "So what, you just drink rum the whole day?"
He sensed her judgemental tone. "No, but I've learned to live with what I have."
"Well, we have food now," Snow paused to throw him an apple she had brought with her from Storybrooke. "So eat."
Hook easily caught the fruit with his only hand. His facade fell as he looked at Snow, his mouth opening and then closing as if he wanted to say something, but, instead, chose to throw another joke her way. "If this puts me in a deep sleep, don't hesitate to wake me up, love."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small amused smile as he took a gracious bite.
Looking at him now seemed like he was under a different light. Snow had almost missed the fleeting falter in Killian Jones before he reverted back to Hook. Almost. Although she had a guess as to why and asking him would be easy, she didn't want to intrude too deep for the sake of courtesy and—
"What do you wish to know?" he asked, prying her from her thoughts. He took another bite of his apple.
"What?"
Hook quirked an eyebrow, finding her surprised reaction comical. "You look like you want to ask me something."
Snow had to admit, she was impressed with Hook's patience after a few minutes had passed and still no answer from her. Deciding to just resolve the stomping elephant in the room, she leaned against his ship (because this could actually take a while) and finally asked, "What's your mother like?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't have one."
"Everyone has a mother," Snow replied, finding his quick answer suspicious.
"Not me." He looked up to the clear and strangely tinted blue sky, reminiscing his youth and the days of him waiting in his so-called home for either parent to return. "My mother left me long ago."
She shook her head, denying the fact that any parent could be so cruel. "I'm sure she had some kind of reason for it. Mothers don't just abandon their children without a reason."
Hook threw her a sarcastic laugh, finding her remarkable faith in humanity astounding. "And your reason was to rely on a wardrobe to put her in an unknown place to fend for herself? It's a wonder she hadn't gotten herself eaten as an infant," he shot back.
"I was supposed to go with her but complications got in the way, Pinocchio was supposed to take care of her, and she didn't get herself eaten so that really isn't a valid argument—do you know for sure your mother abandoned you?" asked Snow in one impressive breath.
Exasperated, Hook huffed out a breath of cold air. She was not going to let this go easily, was she?
"She left when I was young."
"So you remember her leaving you?"
"No, but—"
"Aha!" Snow cheered successfully. "Is that what your father told you? That she left you?"
"Does that matter?"
"Yes, because maybe she didn't mean to leave you. Maybe something happened to her."
"Or maybe my father was telling the truth," argued a narrow-eyed Hook.
"What is going on here?"
After being very much involved in the quarrel, both Hook and Snow jumped from their positions and snapped to the direction of their new guests.
"We could hear you all the way downstairs," Regina complained. She allowed herself to reach for breakfast inside of Snow's backpack.
Emma eyed Hook—because she sure wasn't going to assume her mother initiated a banter with him. "What happened?"
"Nothing much," Snow answered nonchalantly, catching Hook's unwavering stare burning into her, warning her not to say anything unnecessary.
Charming shifted his calculating stance between Hook and his wife before sticking his lip out accepting the answer. "Okay then." He changed the topic, "How much longer until we get to Neverwood?"
Hook tossed his half eaten apple into the sea before turning the helm only slightly continuing down south. The bean had taken them farther from the island as he had hoped, and with the addition of rough winds and waters the past night, it had been hard sailing the Jolly in the right direction.
"We're not going to Neverwood. Not yet at least."
Baffled and completely taken aback, Regina asked, "Excuse me?"
"Where are you taking us?" Rumplestiltskin added, gripping his cane tightly from the anxiety stabbing his gut, warning him of the potential dangers he didn't see coming.
"I promised my crew's assistance, didn't I?" Without another word, Hook nodded his head towards the direction they were sailing. They caught sight of excited hands waving in the air and transcending echoes that sounded similar to "Captain!"
"Skull Rock," muttered an almost amused Rumpelstiltskin, as the cavernous island came into view.
Charming frowned as he watched Hook slowly saunter down the incline of the ramp acting as a bridge between the ship and the island. The sense of distrust and suspicion took a hold of most of Charming's senses and he made this verbally clear. "I don't trust him."
Emma paused from sharpening the dagger she had found buried in a corner of the hold, no doubt something one of Hook's old pirates had left behind. Her gun would run out of bullets soon enough if she kept that as her only weapon, and she liked the idea of leaving it as a last resort for Greg or Tamara if Peter Pan or his Shadow couldn't take a hit. Maybe the bullets would work on the Shadow like silver bullets supposedly work on werewolves. Anything was fair game in Neverland, and Emma was not about to question the possibilities.
"You don't have to trust him," she answered after a short silence, before continuing her sharpening. She glanced down at the pirates when she heard cheers coming from the men.
Her father turned to look at her, bewilderment seeping into his eyes. "Do you?"
"Do I what?" she asked, dismissing the fact that everyone on the ship who could hear their conversation knew she understood the direction of his question perfectly.
"Emma..." Charming warned in a fatherly tone Emma was not so used to hearing.
Still slightly shaken from almost dying and finally stepping over the line she had marked concerning her parents who had not existed in her life until a year and some days ago, Emma stopped sharpening altogether and wrapped her dagger in a familiar handkerchief she just recently kept in her pocket.
"Look...David." She ignored the flash of knowing defeat that graced the features she had inherited. "I know it's weird, but Hook...he came back."
"Oh, Emma. Don't start," groaned Charming. He spun on his heels to glance at his wife who was in a far corner speaking quietly with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin. "The guy hasn't really been on our side if you hadn't noticed. He knocked me out with a crowbar!"
Emma was quick to defend, "And you punched him back!"
"Doesn't change the fact that he works for himself and only himself."
"What do you think he got out of coming back then?" Emma pointed out. She was dead set on convincing her father to at least stop questioning Hook's motives, if he had any. The more questions he asked, the more apprehensive she and Regina felt. "He could have left with the bean to another portal, but he didn't."
"Maybe he found some kind of hidden pie flavor that only exists in another land."
"What?" Emma frowned, clearly not understanding where this conversation was heading. "That doesn't make sense."
"Shut up, I'm hungry."
"Oh God, we really are related."
He knew Emma most likely said it as a make up for referring him to anything other than what a daughter normally called her father, but the fact that she was willing to acknowledge their relationship informed him that her walls were up but not entirely. Not as high as they were when she first found out her lineage. Charming couldn't help the proud grin growing on his face.
"We saw her flag, Cap'n. Came as soon as we could," one of the older crew mates explained as soon as he spotted Hook descending the ship. Hook nodded and shook his hand appreciatively.
"Very good, Thad."
"Captain!" A younger boy around the age of early adulthood quickly beat the rest of the crowd as he came up to his captain, grinning like he had just won five treasure chests all in one sitting.
Hook grinned and gripped the boy's shoulder tightly and welcoming. "Timbers, my boy!"
"Gods, Captain," Timbers replied as he stared at Hook's face in awe. "You actually look older than when we last saw you..."
Belting out a laugh, Hook shook his head, purely amused. "Predicaments have changed quite a bit, Timbers." He gave an appreciative nod to the others. "And speaking of predicaments, I've asked for your assistance to help rescue a boy named Henry. His family is aboard my ship as we speak, and I promised them my help."
One rose up from his seat on an elevated rock, a threatening hand pressed against the pricey looking cutlass he no doubt conquered in the past. "Do they wish tah blackmail, ya, Cap'n? I'll run my sword right through them."
"Keep your sword in your scabbard, Vane. I just owe them."
Vane nodded, accepting his answer. "Then we'll fight with you, Cap'n!"
Eager nods gave way of their already made decision, and though Hook was sure they would follow him even in death, he wanted to allow his men a choice considering the possible consequences in his request.
"Peter Pan's captured the boy. We have to bring him back. Now, I understand you have families of your own. If you find this too risky, you are free to go without any consequences."
"Nonsense, Captain," someone shouted. "We stay with you!"
A round of agreeable cheers followed and Hook knew there was no room for discussion.
"Those are the people you've brought with you?" asked another man, openly admiring two figures that chatted among each other.
"Hot damn, he's brought women with him!"
"We aren't lonely sailors tonight, lads!"
Hook allowed them to hoot for a few more seconds before regaining their attention once more, blaming it on their lack of time rather than the disturbing revelation of what these pirates wouldn't hesitate to do to a woman without warning.
"Settle down now, boys. Go find your pleasure elsewhere. No one touches those women up there, you hear me?"
"Pity," joked Thad. "I see Jonny-boy eyeing that pretty short haired one."
"The name's Timbers," grumbled the bored sounding boy who had corrected Thad one too many times.
Hook smiled, approvingly. "Your taste has improved I see. Sadly, that one is already the wife to the man with a striking resemblance to a young lost pup."
"The man beside the pretty blonde?" Timbers smirked.
Hook nodded thoughtlessly, and answered with a tone equally soft. "Yes, beside the beautiful blonde."
The toothy grin on Timbers face quickly washed out when he noticed the oddly clear skinned man watching them from afar, occasionally turning to make conversation with the two dark haired women. With a flash of recognition, Timbers crossed his arms, quietly gripping the dagger he kept looped through his belt. The dagger was somewhat dull and Timbers was well aware that such a weapon would not hold its own against the Dark One, but seeing as how he had practically leaped out of his seat in the tavern when the message of his captain returning to Neverland spread to all the sailors of the Jolly Roger, he failed to spend much time sharpening the precious weapon he never thought he'd use again. "What's he doing here?"
"Captain..." George, a red headed muscled man that characterized constant heavy lifting trailed off cautiously, quite aware of how sensitive the certain topic was for the man he swore his loyalties.
"Like I said." Hook drifted to their line of sight and his lips twitched madly, tauntingly, at the sight of the Crocodile's fearful gaze staring back at his men. He let out a sharp whistle and a wave of his hand and waited for their tentative guests to join them. "Predicaments have changed."
Thad's eyes squinted, displaying his confusion as he tried to work out the situation like a puzzle. "We're working with the Dark One?"
Hook shrugged loosely. "Stranger things have happened." He kept his eyes on the Crocodile as he walked closer to the ramp and passed Hook, but not before turning an unpleasant glance his way. Hook, being the witty character he was, gave Rumpelstiltskin a sardonic, tight lipped smile in return; and then proceeded to hold a pleasant hand up for Emma, the second to the last to exit the ship, as she got closer to the ground of Skull Rock.
She brushed it off easily and, instead, voiced, "You're really into this gentlemen thing, aren't you." It wasn't a question but a statement of her observances, and Hook was quite flattered she had taken the time to observe, and showed this when he gave her a dazzling grin.
Following Emma, Charming cursed as he tripped on one of the metal bars nailed against the ramp, which ultimately led to an even more aggravated traveler. "Why are we here, Hook?" he seethed as soon as he made a safe landing on the flat rocks hidden in the hollow regions of Skull Rock. "We're wasting time. We need to find Henry."
"Patience, mate," Hook answered rolling his eyes, finding Charming's impetuous state of mind dull. "We'll find him. But first, we need supplies if we want to pull off this devious plan of yours."
"Supplies?" Regina's eyes wandered around the cave, taking in the disorganized treasure chests that peeked over the waters and the different forms of souvenirs that were absentmindedly littered around the elevated cliffs here and there. "What are we supposed to use here? Coins to poke out Peter Pan's eye?"
"Tried that," Timbers said.
"Pan already knows I'm here. He's keeping a watchful eye on the Jolly, which is why he'll be sending his Lost Boys over to check on me when darkness rises," Hook explained. He pointed to his ship. "What he doesn't know, is that on this ship lies you five. If I sail the Jolly to Neverwood, he'll no doubt be suspicious to see strangers. The fact that he has Greg and Tamara with him is already bad enough if they notice and say something of our alliance."
"And he'll catch on that we're trying to get Henry back," finished Emma.
"Exactly," he replied proudly.
George perked up when a thought crossed his mind. "If you want to take down the Lost Boys, you'll need inside men."
Nodding, Hook stroked his scruffy beard thoughtfully, not having gotten that far in the details of the plan. The Lost Boys would no doubt search his ship and it would be too hard to hide five human beings. It had been easy with Baelfire considering his size. Charming could pass for a pirate with a few wardrobe changes, but Rumpelstiltskin was too recognizable; and the women would be too easily noticed, especially if Greg or Tamara decided to tag along to search the Jolly.
But they could do with only a few minutes as soon as the boys stepped foot onto his ship. The only problem was what to do once they entered Pan's lair. If they wanted to proceed stealthily into Neverwood, they had to get rid of Pan's henchmen...
His lips curled up in a wild, cunning smirk.
Emma was thankful they had some time before Henry's rescue for it had given them a chance to properly stretch their legs. After the necessities were collected, the day had been spent sharing stories of both realms, Storybrooke and Neverland, and it almost allowed Emma to wash down the urge to throw up from her nerves.
But Emma was more than enough aware how this stressful search was affecting her when she started heaving into the sea at a far corner from the rest. She spat in disgust and wearily held onto the rock wall that had been supporting her weight. Wiping her mouth, she blinked back tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. A sudden touch on her back soothed her and she was surprised to find she didn't even care who it was.
Craning her head back, she had expected either her father or even Hook, but was surprised to find a man with bright green eyes, aged with knowledge of the sea, staring back at her. He was just about her height when she stood up straight, attempting to look intimidating to wash out any thoughts this pirate might have of her being a vulnerable woman.
Her reaction didn't faze him as he continued to smile, with a knowing look as if he was well aware how everything was taking a toll on Emma.
"Feel better, miss?"
She exhaled a sharp breath, allowing the tenseness in her body to leave her. "Yeah. Thanks." His name escaped her. "Who are you again?"
He let out a low chuckle, something akin to what Emma thought a grandpa would sound like.
"The name's Thad, miss." He held out a hand for a polite handshake.
She nodded, his answer reassuring her of a name she couldn't pinpoint. "Emma Swan," she introduced herself, slipping her hand through his and gave a tight shake, feeling the hardened calluses against his palm. "Thanks for helping us."
"Thank you for taking care of our captain."
"I wouldn't really say I took care of him..."
"Don't be so modest, girlie. Captain doesn't take kindly to doing favors for just anyone."
Emma's expression didn't change, but her mouth went dry as she tried to think of a possible reason that Hook was helping them, a question that continuously ran through her head the moment he sailed back and offered her the bean.
Desperate for a way to divert the oncoming conversation she knew the old man was pining to hear, she smoothly and casually asked, "So, how long have you known Hook?"
He chuckled, reminiscing his less wrinkly years in Ireland before he started his adventures in Neverland. "Killian was a young lad when I first came upon him on the streets of Ulster. Abandoned by his parents and stubborn as a mull." Thad fingered his beard that was growing to be the length of his fingers. "I remember, boy was starving but refused to become a thief."
Scoffing, Emma shook her head, not believing Captain Hook wasn't one for stealing. It was practically in his blood. "You're kidding right? He's a pirate. Stealing is like, a job requirement."
Thad gave her a crooked grin, his nose twitching upwards as he did so. "Aye, but he wasn't always a pirate."
"What changed?"
He shrugged, possibly unsure of the exact answer. "He stopped seeing the good in people, I suppose."
"What about when he was with Milah?"
"You know about Milah, Miss Swan?"
Emma ignored the sparkle in his eyes. "I know she was important to Hook, he lost her, and spent his whole life dedicated to avenging her," she summed up, intentionally leaving out Rumpelstiltskin's part in the situation in case Thad and the rest of the pirates were unaware of that information. Just the thought of Hook's crew trying to murder Rumpelstiltskin in his sleep was enough of a distraction and an extra thing to worry about.
"Yet, here he is, aligning with Milah's murderer to find a kid."
"So...you know Gold—Rumpelstiltskin killed Milah...but you'll still help us?"
"Milah was part of our family, yes, but her death was one we've all seen before. However, if Captain Hook makes the order to kill the Dark One, we will complete the task."
She blinked at the unpredictable answer. "That's comforting to know."
"Don't fret, Miss Swan. Our Captain is quite a dedicated lad if you hadn't noticed. He won't give up this search for the boy."
"That honestly doesn't make me feel any better considering he drove himself mad trying to accomplish his revenge and now he's...not," Emma finished, trying to make sense of the events that had occurred just days ago.
Thad looked as if he were contemplating her perspective and muttered an unsure, "Maybe," before boldly stating, "Or maybe he's just found a reason to live."
It was quiet and Emma refused to say anything to break it, because she had no idea what to say. Thad sounded so sure of himself, and Emma was hardly one to compete with someone who had known Hook for practically his entire life.
Just as Emma was preparing herself to say goodbye and tread back to when she thought Hook was still a thieving pirate—
"I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself."
"Maybe I just needed reminding that I could."
Emma swallowed a thick gulp of reconsideration. Maybe Thad was right. Maybe people could change.
Thad eyed her carefully, admiring the doubt that was slowly dwindling. "Are you the kid's sister?"
"Excuse me?" asked Emma, her head snapping back to him.
"The kid we're gonna find," Thad clarified. "Captain told us you were his family. Besides, you look awfully distraught and I can't think of another reason."
"I'm his mother."
He nodded. "What's his name?"
"I hope you aren't telling her anything unnecessary."
A leery Hook made himself noticeable as he walked out of the thick shadows of the cave. His eyes glazed over Emma, examining the twitch in her fingers, the slow movement of her body sliding back to one, the loose arm that fell to her side.
Thad cleared his throat and began to walk to the direction of the ship where everyone else waited. "Oh, you know me. Always tend to speak too much." He gave a silent nod to Emma, who smiled back at him. "I'll see you both on the ship."
"Henry."
Thad turned around, unsure whether she was talking to him or Hook, but he understood who she meant when Emma stared him down, hope filling the rim of her eyes.
"My son. His name's Henry."
He stayed in the same position, expression clear before realizing he had achieved what he wanted. His eyes crinkled as he winked. With a small smirk, Thad ignored the confusion in Hook's face and departed back to the ship, barking out orders as he came into view with the other sailors.
"Making friends I see?"
Emma turned to look at Hook, who had yet to divert his attention from Thad's back, even as the old man began climbing up the ramp.
"Sure," she said in a voice that was too high pitched for her liking, attempting to lighten up the mood. "If you try anything on me, I'm going to need a partner in crime to toss you off your ship and then use bleach to get rid of the evidence."
With a glance, his eyes shifted and his brows drew together as he mentally tried to identify the definition of bleach. "Savvy."
Almost immediately, he noticed the minuscule sweat drops that were forming on her forehead and the loss of a natural blush he was so used to seeing in her complexion. It wasn't seasickness that was rocking her metaphorical boat, he knew as much since she had shown no signs of uneasiness other than for the search in general.
"You alright, lass?"
She wondered whether he was asking out of sincerity or obligation. "Just peachy."
He evaluated her physical state of health, and Emma tried not to think of what else his perverse mind was thinking as his eyes ran over her body. "Right," he replied loudly, causing Emma to jump a little. Hook waved a hand towards the ship. "We're getting ready to sail."
"Yeah." She nodded. "Let's go find Henry."
As they walked to the dock, Hook offered her his arm which she quickly refused, instead preferring to take the time to rethink her newly acquired information about her new companion.
"I hear you weren't always a thief," she hesitantly worded.
She expected a surprised look on his face and he delivered. Watching her precariously through his dark lashes, he replied slowly, "I didn't want to be like my father."
Emma snorted, and almost regretted it out of sheer politeness had it not been for the pensive expression that crossed his features. "...I'm sorry, but, you're sort of a pirate now..."
They were closer to the ship now and Emma refused to take the hint to walk in a slower stride, leaving Hook the only choice to talk softer.
"I thought being a good person would help me," he began, sounding remorseful. "But in the end, I realized that in this world, if you don't have money, you don't have anything."
"Sort of..." Emma searched for the right words. "Grim outlook on life."
"Darling, when you've been around as long as I have—"
She rolled her eyes as soon as he uttered the sentence, immediately recognizing the too familiar line. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Three hundred year old pirate sailing the bloody seas. You know, that's your most overused line since I've met you."
He smiled and though she had seen him smiling many times before, something about this smile just dazzled; and in that moment, much to her chagrin, she swore her heart had leaped.
EDIT 7/5/13: I forgot to go over the break lines and I missed some spelling errors. It's fixed now but I just want to slap myself.
A/N: Just a note that Thad knew Henry's name before he talked to Emma, because Hook told his crew. If you caught that, it was intentional, if you didn't...well, you know now.
This chapter was initially going to be longer and include a lot more action to where they finally fight with Pan and Emma, Hook, and Henry get transported to the mental AU, but it was making it longer than I wanted and stood strongly as a chapter of its own. So the exciting part will be coming next chapter. Since I already have a skeleton outline done, I should be able to upload it quicker than this chapter, but don't hold me on that.
Keep reading, and I promise, things will get more exciting next chapter!
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Alternative Angel: Love you, babycakes.
Wandering Lady: Pretty angsty!
Anonymous: I hear what you're saying about unconditional love. The way I view Regina is that she's getting to loving Henry unconditionally. It's just my perspective, but I see her sacrificing herself for Henry and, like when she was about to let Emma die, saved her because of Henry. But again, everyone has a different perspective when they view the show, especially characters as complex as Regina; so thank you so much for your input.
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